Blennorrhagia Health Dictionary

Linn.

Family: Fabaceae.

Habitat: Cultivated in many parts of India.

English: Indigo.

Ayurvedic: Nilikaa, Nilaa, Nila, Nili, Nilini, Nilapushpa, Ranjani, Shaaradi, Tutthaa.

Unani: Habb-ul-Neel.

Siddha/Tamil: Nili, Averi, Asidai, Attipurashadam.

Action: Plant—antiseptic, hepato- protective, hypoglycaemic, nervine tonic. Used in enlargement of liver and spleen, skin diseases, leucoder- ma, burns, ulcers, piles, nervous disorders, epilepsy, asthma, lumbago, gout. Leaf—anti-inflammatory. Used in blennorrhagia. Root— diuretic. Used in hepatitis. Root and stem—laxative, expectorant, febrifuge, anticephalalgic, anti- tumour, anthelmintic, promote growth of hair.

The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India recommends the use of dried whole plant in phobia, delusion and disturbed mental state.

Indicine (5-15 mg/g, dry basis) and the flavonoids, apigenin, kaempferol, luteolin and quercetin are present in various plant parts, maximum in the leaves and minimum in the roots (however quercetin was minimum in leaves). The presence of coumarins, cardiac glycosides, saponins and tannins is also reported.

Alcoholic extract of the aerial parts showed hepatoprotective activity in experimental animals against CCl4- induced hepatic injury. The extract increased bile flow and liver weight in rats. The alcoholic extract also exhibited hypoglycaemic activity in rats.

The plant is used in the treatment of endogenous depression. It contains appreciable amounts of conjugated in- doxyl (indican). The use of indigo and its constituents, indirubin and indigotin, prevents allergic contact dermatitis. The 8 weeks old tissues in culture contain maximum histamine content (5.0 mg/g dry weight).

Dosage: Dried leaf—50-100 g for decoction; root—48 g for decoction (API Vol. II); whole plant—10-20 g for decoction. (API Vol. III.)... indigofera tinctoria

(Blume) DC.

Family: Rubiaceae.

Habitat: Gardens of Kerala and West Bengal.

Action: Leaves, flowers—cytotoxic, antitumour.

The ethanolic, extract of leaves showed cytotoxic activity against Dal- ton's lymphoma, Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and Sarcoma 180 tumour cells in vitro. The flowers have been found to contain antitumour principles, active against experimentally induced tumour models.

Jacaranda acutifolia auct. non-Humb. & Bonpl.

Synonym: J. mimosifolia D. Don J. ovalifolia R. Br.

Family: Bignoniaceae.

Habitat: Cultivated in Indian gardens.

Folk: Nili-gulmohar.

Action: Leaves' volatile oil—applied to buboes. Leaves and bark of the plant—used for syphilis and blennorrhagia. An infusion of the bark is employed as a lotion for ulcers.

The leaves contain jacaranone, ver- bascoside and phenylacetic-beta-glu- coside along with a glucose ester, jaca- ranose. Flavonoid scutellarein and its 7-glucuronide, and hydroquinones were also isolated. Fruits contain beta- sitosterol, ursolic acid and hentriacon- tane; stem bark gave lupenone and beta-sitosterol.

The flowers contain an anthocyanin. In Pakistan, the flowers are sold as a substitute for the Unani herb Gul-e- Gaozabaan.

The lyophylized aqueous extract of the stem showed a high and broad antimicrobial activity against human urinary tract bacteria, especially Pseudomonas sp.

The fatty acid, jacarandic acid, isolated from the seed oil, was found to be a strong inhibitor of prostaglandin biosynthesis in sheep.

J. rhombifolia G. F. W. May., syn. J. filicifolia D. Don is grown in Indian gardens. Extracts of the plant show insecticidal properties.

Several species of Jacaranda are used for syphilis in Brazil and other parts of South America under the names carobin, carabinha etc. A crystalline substance, carobin, besides resins, acids and caroba balsam, has been isolated from them.... ixora javanica

(blenno-) combining form denoting mucus. Example: blennorrhagia (excessive production of).... blenn

n. a profuse watery discharge from the urethra. This, like *blennorrhagia, is associated with either prostatitis or urethritis, and is cleared by the usual measures undertaken in the treatment of these conditions.... blennorrhoea

Linn.

Family: Apocynaceae.

Habitat: Native to Mexico; grown throughout India.

English: Red Jasmine.

Ayurvedic: Kshira Champaka (red-flowered var.).

Action: Root bark—used in blennorrhagia. Flower—bechic (used in pectoral syrups). Bark— a decoction is used in venereal diseases and leprosy.

The bark contains cytotoxic iridoids (including fulvoplumierin which also inhibits the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis) and the lignin, lirioden- drin.

The plant contains the triterpene rubrinol which showed antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa (a causative agent responsible for infecting burns, wounds, urinary tract and infection in cystic fibrosis) and Pseudomonas pseu- domallei (which causes melioidosis or pseudoglandess).

The herb contains cardiac glycosides which have a narrow-margin of safety. (Sharon M. Herr.)... plumeria rubra